The Princess Alliance is split on whether to use the magic at the Heart of Etheria or try to destroy it. Scorpia arrives with a request for help.
Tropes
- And This Is for...: Mermista attacks Scorpia for the Horde's take over of Salineas, despite the latter having no part in it. Frosta also attacked her for ruining Princess Prom.
- Bad Boss: Scorpia's defection has caused Catra to lash out at her troops and work them overtime. She sends Lonnie's squad out on a triple shift and her soldiers keep coming back more and more exhausted then the last. She has also become paranoid and thinks everyone is laughing at her behind her back.
- Behind the Black: A lengthy scene is held showing one half of the meeting room table, and no one but Swift Wind notices Scorpia standing at the other side of the table until the camera shows her.
- Call-Back:
- The guards failed again to detect someone from the Horde sneaking through the castle.
- Frosta's grudge against Scorpia for ruining Princess Prom.
- Bright Moon lacking a real prison forces them to place Scorpia and Emily in another spare room since Double Trouble is occupying the other "prison".
- Change the Uncomfortable Subject: Adora is clearly uncomfortable hearing Scorpia note how seeing Shadow Weaver walking around freely probably did a number on Catra and quickly shifts the interrogation topic.
- Delaying the Rescue: Glimmer still wants to save Entrapta from Beast Island, but doesn't want her disarming the Heart of Etheria or think they have the time for a rescue for its own sake.Glimmer: We'll save her. But we need to stop the Horde first. I won't risk the whole alliance for one princess who betrayed us!
- Don't Sneak Up on Me Like That!: Perfuma shouts out that she believes Scorpia came to help, but was standing behind Scorpia at the time, causing Scorpia to sting her reflexively.
- Double-Meaning Title: Fractures has three potential meanings — the image of what happens if the Princesses activate the Heart of Etheria, which will fracture and then destroy the planet, the fact the group itself is fracturing due to in-fighting and distrust, and Catra's rapidly cracking facade of control and sanity.
- Failed a Spot Check: While the princesses are arguing over whether or not to use the Heart of Etheria, they fail to notice Scorpia and Emily sneaking past the guards and waiting in the war room until Swift Wind notices her. Two-for-one since he doesn't even point out she's an intruder, he's complaining the new lady gets a chair and he still doesn't.
- Infernal Background: When Glimmer confines Adora and Bow to the castle, she is standing in front of a roaring fireplace, showing that she's not the Glimmer they know and love anymore.
- Insane Troll Logic: Glimmer refuses to believe Light Hope is a bad guy despite everything revealed last episode based entirely on her not being allied with the Horde and the Horde being bad guys.
- Internal Reveal:
- Scorpia reveals to the princesses that Entrapta did try to warn Hordak about the portal but Catra had her sent to Beast Island. She also understands why Catra is the way she is right now when she sees Shadow Weaver with them.
- Double Trouble reveals to Glimmer that Hordak was able to get a signal to Horde Prime and the latter is heading towards Etheria.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Glimmer is mostly angry that everyone wants to rescue Entrapta to stop her plan, but she does make a good point in that the Mad Scientist isn't exactly safe, or cautious when dealing with dangerous tech.
- Mask of Sanity: After watching Catra's psyche deteriorate as the episode goes on she seems disturbingly composed as she reports in to Hordak and tells him the state of the Horde. Then once the call is over the next shot pans out to show that she has trashed every other monitor in the room she was in before she takes off her mask and cries.
- Mundane Luxury: Like Adora and Catra, Scorpia who was raised in the Horde and has no concept of what regular food is like and is puzzled by salads.
- Not Helping Your Case: As Scorpia tries to protest she's not come to hurt anyone, Emily the Horde bot appears and starts blasting at their attackers with a laser, and Scorpia unintentionally jabs Perfuma with her stinger.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Frosta sees Adora and Bow sneaking off, and after a moment tells them to get going.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: The guards of Bright Moon are pretty incompetent if they were able to allow a tall scorpion princess and a large spherical robot to sneak through the castle and enter the war room unnoticed.
- Tears of Joy: Scorpia sheds these when she sees how the other princesses treat her with respect and kindness despite being their prisoner.
- This Explains So Much: When she sees Shadow Weaver walking around free, unpunished and in a position of some authority within Brightmoon after everything she put Catra through, Scorpia bluntly says that now she fully understands her more negative downward spiral recently. Furthermore, she somewhat-guiltily realises that her leaving is only going to exacerbate Catra's emotional breakdown, even if it's too late to take it back.
- Through the Eyes of Madness: The audience see and hear Catra's hallucinations of Scorpia showing up on security footage.
- Villainous Breakdown: Catra is not handling Scorpia leaving well. She becomes increasingly desperate for Double Trouble to check in, not knowing they've been captured; hallucinates seeing Scorpia in the security footage and hearing her voice; and becomes increasingly paranoid that the rank-and-file are mocking her behind her back. This leads to her repeatedly lashing out at Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio for no apparent reason, and after reporting in to Hordak that everything is under control she's revealed to have utterly trashed the control room and breaks down sobbing.
- What the Hell, Hero?: An indirect one, but Scorpia Lampshades how the Princess Alliance allowing Shadow Weaver to walk around free, unpunished and near to Adora has not been doing Catra's mentality any favours over the unfairness of her evading the consequences of her actions. She then somewhat directs this towards herself, noting how her leaving is only going to make the problem worse, even if she can't undo it now. Adora actually looks disgruntled when she points this out, fully aware that Scorpia is completely correct, but unwilling to admit it before a perceived enemy.
- Wham Shot: Played for Laughs as the camera circles between all the members at the Princess Alliance's meeting: Frosta, Mermista, Perfuma, Swift Wind... and Scorpia.
